


exit light, enter night

by Chibimun



Category: Angry Video Game Nerd (Web series), Board James, Cinemassacre
Genre: Eye Horror, Semi-Post-Mortem Brotherly Bonding, blunt force trauma, board james is a nasty little man, body horror in general but mild, good noose theres noose joke, i said mild body horror earlier but its Really Wild eye horror, like third degree burns, possibly paranoraml activity, references of murder, the avgns cat is there too cause i love that cat, yeah i didnt see myself writing this either
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-04-29 20:19:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14480430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibimun/pseuds/Chibimun
Summary: "The Fuckin' Nerd" gets a late night visitor that brings up too much forgotten shit for comfort.





	exit light, enter night

**Author's Note:**

> ah, shucks! yall might know me if youre here, im the one that keeps sobbin about a Bored Jim prequel. yeah. anyways sorry for the cringe but ive been workin on this for awhile. feat: the avgn and bj are brothers theory and a sad amount of projecting (as usual)

The Nerd woke up to a loud, _loud_ knock, and a blazing clap of thunder. He rubbed his eyes, squinting at the bedroom door as he sat up in bed. Should be get up? Should he _really_ get up?

He cleared his throat. _"PISS OFF, 'M TRYIN' T'SLEEP!"_ He shouted, before laying back down.

The rapping only got louder.

_Knock, knock knock knock, knock, knock knock knock, knock knock knock knock, knock knock knock knock knock, knock, knock knock knock knock._

The pattern stopped, and then droned louder. The Nerd's eyes were bloodshot and wide open as he groaned, _"I SAID PISS OFF, SHIT FOR BRAINS!"_

It only kept getting louder. It sounded like if whoever was at the front door went any longer, they'd _break_ the damn thing. The thudding sound was _unbearable._ One knock, three knocks, one knock, three knocks, four knocks five knocks, one knock, four knocks. It kept coming, and it kept speeding up.

He finally tossed his blankets off, wearing a ratty tank top and some generic "geeky" pajama pants, only capri-length on his knees. He swiped his glasses off of his nightstand, trudged over, and practically _slammed_ the bedroom door open with an intense force. he continued to stop until he reached his front door, a frown plastered on his face the whole time.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as the moonlight hit his glasses as he swung the door opened. "What the hell do you want?" He groaned. "It's damn late, you know that? You goddamn...ugh..."

A pleasant voice spoke. "That's not really what I expected to hear, and yet I'm still happy."

The Nerd's eyes slammed open as his expression dropped from annoyance to surprise. He took a step back from the door frame, making sure that he was actually seeing this. Was this happening? It _couldn't_ be happening, right? He was-

"Gonna let me in?" Board James chuckled, a smile on his face. Black shirt, skull hat, ratty khaki shorts, and a pale, sickly-looking face. "It's really storming out here."

The thunder clapped.

"How the fuck did you get to my house?" He stepped back up to the door, hands balled into fists at his hips. "You aren't supposed to be here."

"What do you mean? You're my bro, bro, and I need some help."

"What kind of help?"

"Let me in, and I'll tell you."

The Nerd stood there, a tired, mithered look on his face. "James. I'm not letting through this damn door."

The skinnier man frowned. "Alright, alright, I get that. I guess I'll just have to convince you."

 _"Convince_ me, huh? How the hell're you gonna do that?" He yawned. "Whatever you're planning, I'm sure it's fucking nuts."

James seemingly ignored him, fishing a small pen-flashlight out of his pocket. He pushed the button at the end and shined the light over one of his arms.

"Huh? What the fuck's goin'- _Jesus Fuckin' Christ!"_ The Nerd's hands shot up to his mouth as he winced.

Dark red lines decorated his pale skin in an almost ornate pattern. The branched out across his skin, covering his in the thread-thin red below his skin. The lightning struck again, and the nerd saw James's face. The same lines were plastered on his neck, the skin slathered pink from the scars.

"Can you let me in now? It's getting cold."

"J-Jesus shit, just--just get the hell inside," The Nerd shuffled away from the door, James walking in with unsure footing. He wobbled around as he walked, almost tripping a few times. The Nerd let him to the couch, where he practically collapsed.

He stared off into space for a little bit, while the other man looked at him, progressively getting more uncomfortable by his presence. "Board James," The other man interrupted, fingers twitching with nothing to do with them. "Are you okay? Like, what the hell _happened,_ and cryptic bullshit. What the hell happened to you?"

"This place seems familiar..." James murmured, a look of confusion on his face.

"Of course it's familiar, you fucking idiot," The Nerd buried his face in his hands. "You absolute moron, you used to _live_ here. Now, tell me wheat happened."

"Isn't it obvious? I _rode_ it, Nerd!" He smiled, eyes wide yet lids drooping. He looked like he was trying to find sleep.

"What did you ride?" The Nerd's face was twisted in tired confusion. "I'm begging you to talk like a _person_ for once, James!" He grit his teeth, fists held in front of his chest.

"...the _lightning!"_ James smiled, eyes looking in different directions as his hands shook, more out of frailty than intention. "I rode the _lightning!"_

"Shut the hell _up!"_ The Nerd seemed to snap. "Nothing you say ever makes any goddamn _sense!"_ He was practically frothing already, resting one hand on his forehead and the other on his hip in pure exasperation as he began to pace. "It's been _years,_ James! You'd think you've learned to, I don't know, give me a simple answer to a simple que-" He stopped mid-ramble as he turned back to face the couch.

James was laying down, seemingly asleep. His eyelids fluttered over his glazed stare, and his jaw hung slack.

"Jesus, god, and all in hell..." The Nerd muttered as he cringed. "The hell's goin' on here?"

While trying to investigate just a little bit, he noticed a growing stain under his brother's arm, and a pit formed in his stomace.

"Oh, _oh,_ now you're trackin' _blood_ on my goddamn couch?!" Sweat began to beat on his forehead. "That's just fuckin' rude!" He lifted up one of James's arms to investigate, as the bleeding was from his sides. He gagged as he saw cracked, charred-black flesh on the backside of his arm, and he paced the limb down at least twice as hastily as he had picked it up.

The Nerd stared down at the body in panic. What the hell did he do now?! He wasn't gonna call a damn ambulance, not for _James,_ at least. Something nagged at him that it was a bad idea to call anybody, but he couldn't exactly think of what it was. He was nuts anyways, he'd probably be okay...whatever had happened to him.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as, from the couch, James's body jerked.

His eyes shot open, his legs kicked out so hard they looked as if they had almost _broke,_ and he gripped the couch cushions and _shrieked._ It was loud, and the Nerd wasn't sure he had _ever_ heard him make a noise like that, even as long as they had lived together.

To speak briefly, it scared the absolute shit out of him.

"Bro, what the _fuck_ is the matter with you? I'm-I'm getting you a damn doctor or some shit," His mouth moved without him forcing it. "I don't give a shit if they put you back in the pen!"

James was sitting up now, looking as if he had tried to pull himself up but nearly failed. Blood dripped out his nose. He didn't answer.

Something smelled like burning.

The Nerd blinked, and James's hair was on fire, a ball of bright, burning yellow-orange-red that lit up the entire room.

What hair? Where did that greasy, black, tangled mess come from? When he had seen him at the door, he had looked just like the last time he had seen him, if only a little bit sick (probably from the storm).

He could've tried to figure this out some more, yes, but the most important thing at the moment was that _James's hair was **burning.**_

"What the fuck!" The Nerd exclaimed, his voice high and strained. "What the _fuck!_ _What the hell is going on?!"_

James, the human candle, only twitched mildly in response, his mouth open in a silent scream. His eyes were stuck near the back of his skull, sometimes jittering but never looking in the same place. Sweat was pouring down his face. The Nerd thought he might've saw him crying.

So, he did the sensible brother (and couch-owner) thing, and went to get a _goddamn_ fire extinguisher.

He dashed into the kitchen, barely ever used properly, and snagged the extinguisher from next to the oven. He ran back, almost tripping on his way, to find James, the short-haired James, staring at him, or behind him, or through him, with a pleasant smile on his face.

The Nerd dropped the can.

"J...James..." He held up his hands defensibly.

"What's wrong, bro?" He asked, tapping his fingers (with their ugly, bitten nails to match the Nerd's) on his scarred arm.

The room still smelled like burnt hair.

"James," The Nerd adjusted his glasses. "You know _damn well_ that something's going on here, and I'm _extremely_ convinced that that _something_ is your damn fault."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Nerd," He shrugged, close his eyes. When he opened them again, the right eye looked like it was tearing up. "I just remember you putting me on this couch, and  now you..." He chuckled, something more dense than a tear ran down his cheek as the eye itself lost focus, rolling down to look at nothing. He peered, eyes narrowed, a smile on his face as his remaining articulate pupil stared straight at the red canister. He smiled serenely. "What're you gonna do with that fire extinguisher, Nerd?"

The Nerd shivered. "James..." He balled his hands into fists, trying to calm his nerves. Things were flying back. Things that we wasn't sure he had known, or maybe he had, and he had just forgot. Things he now wishes he didn't know. "How...did you get out of there?"

"Out of where?" He answered without a hitch, a steady stream of pinkish-white dripping down his face from his eye.

The Nerd pinched the bridge of his nose. _"Prison,"_ He said, without wanting to. "Board James, how did you get out of _prison."_

Silence.

"James?" The Nerd stepped closer, instinctively reaching a hand out. "James...bro...are you okay?"

A glob fell from his socket as half of the man's left eye tumbled down onto his shorts into a gooey mess. The nerd felt the bile building up in his throat, too stunned to move. Horror movies were more tolerable.

"They let me out," James answered bluntly, as if nothing had just happened. "They just let me out. I rode the lightning out, you could say."

A bright flash filled the room, accompanied with the crash of thunder.

"What're you gonna do, Nerd? Are you gonna turn me back in?" His face held a gentle, docile smile. His right eye was closed, held shut by the remains of the eye itself.

"Hey, James-"

"Are you gonna turn me in?" He asked again, fingers tapping. "Watch as they slam my face into the car? Put me in the cuffs? Are you gonna feel relieved when I'm back behind bars, Nerd?"

"I never said that," He picked up the fire extinguisher, holding it in a defensive stance, He took a step back, speaking slowly. "You're putting words in my mouth here."

James was sitting at the end of the couch at this point, gripping the edge of the cushion with so much force his arms were beginning to shake. He was bleeding again, most heavily from the area around his elbows. The red trickled down onto the couch as his skin audibly crinkled, and "tore" like paper. "Ah, you're gonna use that fire extinguisher to bash my brains in, huh? You were always more of a direct action guy, you wouldn't just turn me in. Sorry for that whole misjudgment of character."

"Get the fuck out of my house." The Nerd snarled.

"Remember when I lived here?" James interjected suddenly, a different tone of voice than before. Nostalgic. "I was young, and I practically lived in that basement down there, rather than the actual house. How's it going down there now? Did you get a better heater?"

"I said, get the _fuck_ out of my _house,_ James." He took a few steps forwards, and James rose, though shakily, to meet the challenge.

He looked relaxed, his smile natural. Pink trailed down his cheek, but either he didn't notice or he didn't care. "Give me my games, Nerd. Then I'll leave."

"You put them into storage before you left, remember?" The Nerd spat out the recollection the second he got it. "You said you were fucking moving, so you put all your plastic and cardboard _bullshit_ into storage!"

"Glad I was able to job your memory, I'd thought you'd _forgotten_ by now," He spat, a brief outburst, before calming himself. We're both collectors," James frowned, speaking with a warning tone. " _I_ respect _your_ collection, how about _you_ treat  _mine_  with some common decency for once?"

"Oh, that's because my collection _is_  respectable! How'd you enjoy that nice, spacious _storage unit,_ huh?" He growled. "You wanna know why you got locked up? You got locked up because you're a fuckin' nut! A dumbass nut, up on the headlines because of your damned _collection!"_

"Hey, those weren't--" His face screwed up as he searched for words. "Those weren't _supposed_ to go there!" His expression turned sour as he balled his hands into fists. "I don't-I don't even remember why I put those there, shut the hell up!"

"You put 'em there cause you're a damned _nut_ , James!" He jabbed a finger into the other man's chest and kept it there. "I want you to get the fuck out of my house, and I swear to shit if you ever come back, we will be having the _biggest_ shitstorm-level problems this state has ever _seen._ _"_

There was no response.

For a second, James looked...lost. Sad. Maybe betrayed. He took a step back, smearing the blood budding at his nose onto the back of his hand (which didn't exactly help). "Oh, come on, bro. I just wanted to tell you the good news. The good," He snickered, a small smile lighting up his face. " _Noose,_ you could say."

The Nerd interjected with the single straight-faced comment of, "You're awful, Board James."

He closed his eyes. "Hey, hey, let's just get this whole nasty business recapped. You know I just needed to cover some things up, we all make mistakes, right? Mine was I forgot the air fresher, the little trees, I forgot that trust is a factor in everything. It's all over now, okay?" His eyes both opened serenely, revealing not only the gory remains of the right, but the rolling of the left as it began to melt on its own. The lightning flashed again. "I served my time for it all. I just wanted to tell you something now that I'm here."

"I don't  _want_ your news." The Nerd gripped the fire extinguisher in both hands like a vice, baring his teeth. "Get the fuck out, I don't want your damn  _news!"_

"How does it feel being an only child, brother of mine?" Thunder banged as if it could shatter the windows. He placed a hand on the Nerd's shoulder, smearing blood on it, and let out a lighthearted laugh. "That's my news! Aren't you excited?" He stared the Nerd in the eyes with nigh-empty sockets. Something reeked of death, and James's otherwise pallor stuck out too much compared to his bright, rosy cheeks.

The Nerd slammed the red canister straight into the side of James's head, who crumpled to the floor with an odd noise on impact. More blood leaked from his nose, along with the puddle starting by his forehead, staining the carpet. A few of his teeth might've gotten knocked out from the impact, even. The Nerd didn't know. The Nerd didn't  _care._

He sat down, legs crossed, in front of the twitching body of Board James. Though his hands would jerk, his sockets and mouth were stuck open, and he made no noise. He didn't know how long he sat there. He sat until the blood stopped flowing, until James's eyes finally closed.

"Well," The Nerd swallowed some lump in his throat down, glasses fogged up, hands shaking. He still had a white-knuckle grip on the fire extinguisher. "Alright then."

_"Do you think this is over?"_

He jumped to his feet, stumbling. The voice rang across the house, coming from every hallway, every room.

_"I'll be back, one day! This isn't something you can stop!"_

James was gone. All that was left was a dark bloodstain on the carpet.

"What the fuck is going on?" He brandished the canister once more. The voice was hoarse, coming from nowhere, yet everywhere at once. He felt...nauseous.

_"Mike!_ _Bootsy! Get me the hell out of here!!"_

The voice raised in pitch with it's panic, the sound of rattling filling the Nerd's ears as his vision grew spotty. He fell to the ground, a ringing in his ears. He felt light-headed, he felt  _sick._

_"Get me out of here!! Someone help me!!"_

All the Nerd remembered before he finally blacked out was the sound of loud, terrifying thunder, and the final, shrill shriek of his brother.

 

 

The Nerd awoke in a puddle of sweat, a painful lump stuck in his throat. He stared at the ceiling above him, and listened to the harsh rain tapping at his window.

As his hands shook, he noticed the crinkling of paper between one of his fists. A stone-cold frown on his face, he trembled as he gently opened the yellow paper and grabbed his glasses from the nightstand.

_"hey, nerd!_

_i figured it's about time for me to leave. i think we both knew this was coming soon, and i hope you're as glad as i am! i found a nice place with a few roomies where i'm going to settle down. it's a real nice place in philadelphia. how about you take care of yourself while i'm gone? also, i'd like to request for you to NOT call me blowjob in my absence. it's not funny._

_thanks for letting me stay here all this time. seeya down the road!_

_your brother, board james"_

It was written in simple script; the nerd remembered the small sack with a pair of dice the note had originally been left with. He wondered where those dice were.

But he did  _not_ remember, however, the note scribbled in faint writing at the bottom. The writing was unsteady, light, and in general a pain in the ass to read.

_"hello nerd  i know you like to sit on your ass all day  but i have a seat   i wouldnt recommend to you now haha  its uncomfortable and it hurts your eyes! it sure was a spectacle though!_

_have fun being an  only child_

_bj :)"_

The bottom of the crude, shaky smiley face jerked down in a bold line, as if the paper had been ripped out from under him, or his arm had been pushed, or had spasmed, or something of that caliber.

Teardrops stained the paper, the old writing becoming incomprehensible. Nothing else to do, the Nerd sat simply sat there in his bed. He cried quietly until sleep took him again; he dreamed of nothing. 

Unbeknownst to him, his cat pawed idly at the faint red stain on the living room carpet, kept up by the storm.

**Author's Note:**

> "everyone on earth gets to stan 1 irredeemable fictional murderboy with a vaguely sad backstory. but you only get 1. if you exceed that limit the cia takes you out. and thats how fandom discourse works"  
> see this quote would apply to me but actually i stan bad luck bootsy to my grave and back, not board james.  
> bonus note: whoever has the 13 dead end drive newspapers from the auctions two years ago if youre reading this im going to cap your knees


End file.
